2011 Quaker State 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 18 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
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| Date | July 9, 2011 | ||
| Location | Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
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| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.5 km) | ||
| Weather | Partly cloudy with a high of 88; wind out of the East at 5 mph. | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 29.540 (in practice, grid set by practice times) | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 125 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Turner Network Television | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach, Jr. and Kyle Petty | ||
The 2011 Quaker State 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 9, 2011 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was 18th race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, and the first Sprint Cup Series event at Kentucky Speedway. The race was won by Kyle Busch for the Joe Gibbs Racing team. David Reutimann finished second, and Jimmie Johnson clinched third.
Kentucky Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Kentucky Speedway is a four-turn tri-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 14 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is 8 degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, is at only 4 degrees. The racetrack has seats for 107,000 spectators. The track is also the most recent addition to the schedule since the 2001 season, when Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway were added to the schedule.
Before the race, Kevin Harvick led the Drivers' Championship with 586 points, and Carl Edwards stood in second with 581. Kyle Busch was third in the Drivers' Championship with 576 points, six ahead of Kurt Busch and twelve ahead of Matt Kenseth in fourth and fifth. Jimmie Johnson with 564 was 30 ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., as Jeff Gordon with 519 points, was 14 ahead of Clint Bowyer, and 21 in front of Ryan Newman. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 112 points, 10 ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 90 points, was 20 points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.
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